Published: Friday, August 10, 2012 at 8:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 10, 2012 at 8:57 p.m.

South Louisiana residents may soon have a chance to glimpse one of the rarest and biggest birds in North America.

State officials are working to rebuild a historic population of whooping cranes in the marshes of southwest Louisiana, birds that haven't been seen in the state for more than 60 years.

“Louisiana has more important bird areas, resident and migratory, than any other state in the nation,” said Robert Love, administrator of coastal and non-game resources for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “This is our species, a species of the Cajun prairie, and we want it back.”

The whooping crane, North America's tallest bird, is named for its whooping call, so loud it can be heard from a mile away, Love said. A species that once faced the threat of extinction, it also has a fascinating comeback story.

The bird stands 5 feet tall and has an 8-foot wing span. Sara Zimorski, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries who specializes in working with the birds, described them as striking white birds with a red crown and a long, dark beak.

“They're a charismatic bird,” Zimorski said. “When you see them, it's hard not to get excited.”

DRIVEN TO EXTINCTION

Unfortunately, what makes the birds striking and unique also made them easy targets.

Whooping cranes were pushed to the brink of extinction by years of unregulated hunting and loss of habitat. By 1941, there were just 21 wild whooping cranes left, Love said.

Conservation efforts have helped their recovery, but there's still a long way to go. There are fewer than 600 captive and wild whooping cranes in North America.

Officials are hoping Louisiana can be a successful home for the whooping crane.

The state has a successful record of bringing species back from the brink of extinction. Controlled harvests helped restore the state's alligator population, and brown pelicans were successfully relocated from Florida to Louisiana after pesticide use decimated local populations.

BRINGING CRANES BACK

It takes a careful and controlled effort to raise the captive whooping cranes that will eventually be released into Louisiana's wild wetlands.

The birds are raised in isolation in Maryland and later transported to the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermilion Parish. Scientists working with them don't speak and wear costumes to prevent the baby whooping cranes from becoming comfortable with human interaction, Zimorski said. They learn to eat with the help of an adult whooping crane puppet.

“We want to raise them to be a whooping crane and not get too friendly with people,” Zimorski said.

As juveniles, the birds are transported to White Lake in individual crates and released into an outdoor pen where they're fed and observed while they adjust to their new home and outfitted with transmitters.

The transmitters allow scientists to track their comings and goings in Louisiana and beyond.

The birds are held for a few weeks until adjusted, and then the pen is opened and they are allowed to explore. Scientists continue feeding them for a few weeks afterward to help them adjust and keep them coming back to the area in a process called a “soft release.”

Two groups of 26 whooping cranes have been brought into Louisiana so far. Of them, 15 have survived. Another group of 14 whooping cranes are headed to Louisiana after Thanksgiving.

The goal is to eventually build up a flock of 130 birds with 25 nesting pairs. Scientists believe that's the number needed to make the flock sustainable over the long term, Love said.

The state is partnering on the project with the International Crane Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Research Unit in Maryland, the Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation.

Private cooperations that include Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Acadian Ambulance have also contributed to the effort.

THE CHALLENGES

Establishing a successful and separate colony of whooping cranes in Louisiana will strengthen the long-term survivability of the species overall, Love said. Separate colonies prevent the limited crane population from being wiped out entirely by disaster or disease. Establishing separate colonies is also essential for the birds to be taken off the endangered species list.

The birds' introduction into Louisiana marks the fourth attempt to establish a new whooping crane population in the wild.

In 1975, scientists tried unsuccessfully in Idaho to use sandhill cranes as foster parents for young whooping cranes. In 1993, Kissimmee, Fla., officials attempted to establish a flock of resident whooping cranes. Drought, starvation and predation led to that project being abandoned.

A third attempt in 2001 formed an eastern migratory flock between Wisconsin and Florida that now numbers more than 100 birds. The cranes were raised in captivity and are taught to migrate by following ultralight aircraft.

This flock has been successful but has had trouble reproducing because biting black flies are driving parents from their nests, Love said.

Whooping cranes live for as long as 24 years in the wild and 40 years in captivity, and mate for life. But like many long-lived animals, they reproduce slowly, which complicates their comeback.

It will take a few years before scientists know if the Louisiana population can successfully and naturally reproduce, Zimorski said.

Whooping cranes aren't sexually mature until they're 3-5 years old. The oldest birds brought to Louisiana are now 2-years-old. In addition, the cranes usually aren't successful parents the first time around.

“Having the animals survive and reproduce on their own is a major part of our project, but we have to be patient,” Zimorski said.

KEEP AN EYE OUT

In the meantime, the state is working to educate Louisianans about these new and large resident birds sharing our state. In October, two whooping cranes were shot and killed by a pair of teenagers near Jennings.

As they scope out their new habitat, the birds are travelling more and more, taking exploratory flights from their home in White Lake to Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and a number of different Louisiana parishes, Zimorski said.

“Prior to the shooting incident, we were doing a lot of talks for birding clubs and going where folks were interested,” Zimorski said. “Now we want to work more to make the general public aware that these birds are here, and people can watch them, but they should leave them alone.”

The state has developed science curriculum around whooping cranes that can be taught in Louisiana classrooms and will launch a media campaign to raise awareness about the birds, Love said.

If you spot a whooping crane, it's important to observe the bird from a distance and don't try to approach, Zimorski said. They're still young, naive and adjusting to life in Louisiana.

You can also help the state reintroduction effort by alerting Wildlife and Fisheries of whooping crane sightings. For now, the transmitters are telling scientists where they go. But they won't work forever.